Book Nook

A coming of age story set within the backdrop of the 1960s with a Charles Manson-like cult leader and subsequent murders. That’s how The Girls by Emma Cline was sold, at least to me anyways, and it almost delivered. Almost.

Drawn to the book because I am a big true crime enthusiast and a sucker for a story with a female lead, I thought it would be interested to read the story of a young girl (Evie, aged 14) who, in only a few months, becomes entangled with the charismatic Russell, and obsessed with the wild Suzanne, climaxing to a moment of violence that alters history.

The book, written from the perspective of older Evie, explored her thoughts and feelings from 1969 and her fears of the present. Emma Cline wrote in beautiful prose about being a girl who is on the cusp of womanhood. Evie is lonely and confused, waiting for someone like Suzanne to come into her life and create purpose and excitement. While Evie and Suzanne were decently interesting, some of the other characters fell a little flat. There for the purpose of plot and not really for their own merit. The rest of the time I spent reading I was waiting for the moment to come when the unspeakable violence happens and I would be left with my mouth hanging open….but it never really came.

I don’t want to spoil the story fully, but Evie left me wanting more. More development, more excitement, more of a character that I could appreciate- which I know is very selfish. I believe we were left with something a little more “real” to the situation than what I wanted from the end, but i’m still left a little disappointed.

I was captivated and enthralled, wanting to find out how this girl joins a soon-to-be infamous cult…but left feeling the story and characters could have been more.

All in all, I’d suggest this book for others to read giving it a 3 star rating. If you’ve read this book, I’d be interested to see what you thought about Evie and her time on the ranch.

That’s pretty much what I thought at the middle and end of this book, with a few other ‘special’ words thrown in too.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, who I now plan to read all of the books by her, is the story of missing Amy Elliot Dunne and her husband Nick. Nick begins to act elusive, aloof, and not very helpful during the early days of Amy being gone. Much like the world today, everyone suspects Nick of killing his wife. But did he really do it?

My sister-in-law told me that I had to read this book. She’s pretty on point about books I like, so I went ahead and bought it. I’ll admit, the beginning of the book was a little slow, but then BAM. You learn secrets and delve deeper into the life of Nick and Amy. Then when you think everything is making sense….BAM again. You can’t believe what you’re reading. My mind was completely blown by this book. If this is how her other books are then I’m hooked.

This book is dark and twisted. I’ll admit I don’t see it being everyone’s cup of tea, but I think people should give it a chance. This will be a book I will recommend to anyone who asks. I have Dark Places by the same author and it will be one of the next books I read.

I might have to take a sabbatical from reading….haha who am I kidding, I can’t do that.

This book had been on my list for a while and when I finally got around to it I finished in about 2 days. The book is about a young man, Clay, who loses his job and find work at a strange bookstore that is open for 24-hours run by Mr. Penumbra and has no customers except for those who borrow and trade books from the back of the store. Soon Clay starts to uncover the books secrets and goes on an adventure.

The book was interesting and a light read. I do wish there had been more action, but I was still captivated by the story.

I would suggest this book for those who like books that are different. It wasn’t something I would say I read all the time, but I’m glad I did! There is a prequel, Ajax Penumbra 1969, an origin story of the sorts, that I want to read next. I added it to my goodreads!

My boyfriend had been trying to get me to read this book for a while and finally a friend of mine let me borrow it. This is a story about an ex-military man who has turned into a hired gun of sorts. When he is approached to kill a man who doesn’t deserve it he gets thrown into a world-wind ride of problems, terrorism, and leggy ladies. All he wants to do is save the woman he might love, and potentially stop a terrorist group.

Now, this may not seem like a story that would be considered ‘hilarious’ or ‘laugh out loud funny’ but surprisingly it is. I should also let you know I find it hard to find books funny. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t, but this book is. Maybe it’s Hugh Laurie’s dry British humor. Maybe since everyone told me it was funny I read it as though it was funny. I do suggest this book for many people, it’s not only hilarious, but has so many twists and turns I didn’t know who to trust and who was worthless.

Next on my list to read is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. All I’ve been told is how amazing that book is so I hope it holds up to those standards

A friend of mine ( hey LauraBess!) and I tend to lend books to each other and offer recommendations. She recently read this book and loved it. That obviously means she gave it to me on the off-chance I would too. Guess what, I did.

Night Film by Marisha Pessel is about a disgraced journalist Scott McGrath who becomes interested in a story about Ashley Cordova who is found dead at the age of 24. Though the death is ruled a suicide, McGrath believes differently. It’s not before long until he becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. It doesn’t help that Ashley Cordova is the daughter of famed cult film director Stanislas Cordova, the famous filmmaker with a dark past, who McGrath tried to take down once years before. Cordova and his family has been shrouded by mystery, bad luck, and just plain creepiness. Did Ashley really kill herself? Or was something dark behind it? Why are there so many secrets surrounding the family? There were so many questions to be answered.

The book was a little slow at first, but then it took right off into the sky. The book had everything; it was mysterious, captivating and a thrill ride. I could not put it down. What starts out simply as a journalist following a lead transforms into a race to uncover the truth of what happened to Ashley to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

If you like books that keep you guessing at every turn and mess with your mind and emotions, then this a book for you. I am most definitely adding this to book to my favorite lists. I would love to write more but I’m so worried about spoilers, and this book is best enjoyed through experience.

I’m going to throw this out there…I love books. I love to read pretty much anywhere; bed, the beach, a couch, on the bus, pretty much where ever I can. Loving to read, whenever we go on vacation the beach is usually involved and I get to sit out and read all day. That is how I’ve finished two books in about four days. First up, Defending Jacob by William Landay.

Image from Google

This book was a bit slow at first, pretty much the first chapter, but after that I couldn’t put the book down. This is a story about an assistant DA who is investigating a murder of a boy from town when the main suspect of the case turns out to be his son. For the rest of the novel he basically becomes obsessed with trying to prove that his son Jacob is not the killer. In the process it erodes on his life, family, and sanity.

What I loved about this book is that it kept you guessing, not necessarily about whether Jacob did the crime, but of the sanity of almost everyone involved. I couldn’t put this book down and the whole time I was on the edge of my seat as to what had happened and what was going to happen. And the ending, oh the ending! I never in a million years expected it to end the way it did! If you love Whodunnits then you’re sure to love this one!

Image from Google

After reading Defending Jacob I had to take it easy, so I looked for a fun read. I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about this book so I decided to give it a try. I also know Maria Semple wrote for Arrested Development and that’s just awesome.

The book did captivate my attention, and it was pretty funny, but it did fall flat a little. I can’t exactly put my finger on it yet, but there’s something that was meh, part of me thinks it’s because I had read Defending Jacob before it. What I can say is that I finished the book essentially in one day and that’s mostly because I wanted to know what happened to Bernadette. I had to know.

I don’t want to give too much away but I will say I loved the character of Bernadette and her daughter Bee. The Dad? Not so much, and if you read it you might see why. I will tell you that the book was worth it and is a perfect vacation/beach read!

If you love to read as much as I do then you really need to join GoodReads, it’s awesome. It’s essential for anyone who wants to keep track of what they read and get recommendations from it too. I’m also a big fan of Go Book Yourself. It’s a Tumblr that gives recommendations off of books you might have read. It’s a little different because the books are recommended by people instead of computer programs (the horror, I know!) but I like it.

Up next for me is Cockoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (really J.K. Rowling!) and I can’t wait.